Genres of search: A concept for understanding successive search behaviour

The paper presents Genres of Search, a concept that contributes to our understanding of the successive search phenomenon. The concept is explained in the context of a case study that used naturalistic methods to explore the\ud information-seeking behaviour of 10 participants, aged 16 to 18, as they searched for, selected, and used information for a school-based inquiry project on a topic related to the history of Western civilization. The study found an array of sub-searches, or Genres of Search, embedded within the information problem solving process, each genre representing a distinct information need. The Genres of Search concept is useful for mapping irregularities in successive searching and provides insight into the nature of the tasks involved in the search process.\u